1619 Jamestown craftsmen strike

The Jamestown Polish craftsmen's strike of 1619 took place in the settlement of Jamestown in the Virginia colony.[1] It was the first documented strike in North America.[2] Skilled craftsmen were sent by the Virginia Company to Jamestown to produce pitch, tar, and turpentine used for shipbuilding.[3] When the colony held its first election in 1619, many settlers were not allowed to vote on the grounds that they were not of English descent, and they went on strike.[2] Due to the importance of the skilled workers in producing valuable naval stores for the colony, company leaders bowed to labor pressure and gave full voting rights to continental workers.[1]

  1. ^ a b Pula, James S. (2008). "Fact vs. Fiction: What Do We Really Know About The Polish Presence In Early Jamestown?". The Polish Review. 53 (4): 477–493, 491. JSTOR 25779776.
  2. ^ a b Grizzard, Jr., Frank E.; Smith, Boyd D. (2007). Jamestown Colony: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. ABC-CLIO. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-85109-637-4.
  3. ^ Warder, Bill. ""From Forraine Parts": Non-English Europeans at Jamestown, 1607-1625" (PDF). Historic Jamestowne. National Park Service. Retrieved 30 May 2018.